


Finding Phil

by MissCorkyCat



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Avengers Family, Clint Barton Needs a Hug, Everyone Is Alive, Jarvis (Iron Man movies) is a Good Bro, M/M, Manipulative Nick Fury, Nick Fury Lies, Protective Bruce Banner, Protective Tony Stark
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-01
Updated: 2020-09-01
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:47:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,705
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26234398
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissCorkyCat/pseuds/MissCorkyCat
Summary: In which finding Phil Coulson was Bruce and Tony's own personal mission but Nick Fury remains a manipulative liar.
Relationships: Bruce Banner/Tony Stark, Clint Barton/Phil Coulson, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Kudos: 54





	Finding Phil

**Author's Note:**

> Phil Coulson is alive in all my headcanons and no one can tell be otherwise. I just need my fav hawk to be happy!
> 
> Another rewrite from FF.net.

It took 2 months for Agent Phil Coulson to officially return from the dead.

It was 2 weeks prior to his official release from medical, and subsequently his miraculous resurrection, that Clint 'Hawkeye' Barton had clambered through the SHIELD air filtration system to get to the room he'd been kept in. When Clint had finally climbed out of the tight air duct, he'd found himself in a stark white, sterilised medical room. Coulson was laid out on medical cot, bandages wrapped around his chest, wires and tubes snaking around him and disappearing under the sheets. Clearly heavily sedated, he made no reaction to Clint climbing down from the vent and making his way toward the bed. As Clint made his way forward, it had all felt surreal, almost like a dream. For weeks he’d been beating himself up for not being there when Loki struck, that he’d fail one of the most important people in his life. As if to make sure he was real, Clint had silently placed his hand on Coulson's still arm and listened to the man's steady breathing. He finally let go of the breath he didn’t know he’d been holding since he’d dropped out from the ceiling, the relief that he had found him alive finally setting in. Gathering himself back together and removing a slightly shaking hand from the sleeping man’s arm, Clint radioed the team to tell them it was affirmative, Coulson was alive, all the while continuing to stare down at his friend. Clint had never been a religious man but for a small moment while he listened to the cheers on the other end of his comm he thanked whatever gods there were that the second scariest man in SHIELD, second only to their one-eyed director Nick Fury, was alive and breathing.

Days prior to Clint sneaking through air vents and the confirmation of Coulson's mortality; Tony Stark, his AI JARVIS, and fellow Avenger Bruce Banner were snooping around SHIELD's encrypted files. Both Bruce and Tony had agreed that they didn't really trust their employers to tell them everything about any powerful alien tech they still had, so the only solution had been for them to go looking themselves. JARVIS had been breaking codes while Tony and Bruce where sorting the files when the AI had suddenly spoken up after hours of near silent work. "Sir, I believe you and Dr Banner may want to see this." They had stopped working and squinted at the spread of files around them, both faces registering the shocking truth revealed. Yet as they shared a glance, both with hard set eyes screaming anger and betrayal, they silently agreed to hunt for more information before they broke the news to the team, especially to Clint. Tony broke the tense silent triggering what would come to be a month of caffeine fuelled investigations and restless nights of research. "JARVIS stop all searches for alien technology. We are now solely concentrating on the classified documents you have just shown Bruce and I. Look for all files encrypted, open or otherwise related to the current status of the Agent Phil Coulson." 

The end of their frantic week of searching, file hunting and code breaking revealed that Agent Phil Coulson, the Avengers personal handler, was in fact alive. Various encrypted and fire walled documents had helped Tony and Bruce piece together the events in Coulson's life since his ‘death’. His previous residence had been kept but under a new tenancy agreement for a one Roger Stevens, the thinly veiled reference to Coulson’s favourite superhuman not missed by either man. There was a storage unit under the same name inventoried with all of Coulson’s office contents as well as a vehicle unit containing Lola, his beloved red 1962 Chevrolet Corvette. Many of his in-progress case files had been labelled TEMPO (temporarily out) instead of being passed on to another agent. They'd found official birth and death certificates for him in addition to a terminated social security number yet his passport was still valid and a SHIELD wages account still active although frozen. 

Although they’d had more than enough evidence to give reasonable doubt to his death, the reason Tony and Bruce had delayed telling the rest of their team had been that something was still missing. They still didn’t know where Phil Coulson was being kept or how he'd been resurrected after Thor himself witnessed the aftermath of the fatal stab wound. The missing information was what held them back, preventing them from calling an emergency team meeting and rushing to the kitchen to break the news. They had to be sure. They had to know what the file had said was true. The needed irrefutable proof, if only for their defeated hawk's and dejected spider's sake.

It was 5:43am on day 7 of their caffeine induced search-a-thon when, just as Tony's eyelids had drooped despite the vast quantities of coffee, Bruce had shouted hysterically from his tablet. "TONY! I've found it! JARVIS highlight that file and spread the contents out." 

Jolting awake, Tony scrambled from his desk toward Bruce and stared at the information around him. Rubbing his eyes and willing away his exhaustion, Tony squinted at the holographic renderings. “JARVIS comb through and highlight the relevant information.” 

“Certainly, sir.” It took a moment but soon every page was littered with small chunks of highlighted text relevant to their self-imposed mission. Words like 'Coulson', 'alive', 'secure medical facility' and 'nano-surgery' were recurring throughout the documents leaving Bruce and Tony with no doubts that Phil Coulson was alive and well.  
Slumping next to Bruce onto the well-loved sofa, Tony finally let himself relax. Sitting in silence, both men took a moment to let the discovery set in. Finally, they’d found what they were looking for. Letting out a heavy sigh Tony finally spoke. "JARVIS, save all relevant files to the secure drive and commence a locations search for Agent Coulson, checking SHIELD safe houses first." Glancing at a sleepy but smiling Bruce Banner, Tony let his own tired grin show. "Bruce, I think we should finally tell the rest of them why we've been holed up in the lab for a week sustaining on nothing but coffee and takeout." Bruce gave a tired chuckle and moved to follow Tony as he got up and made his way towards the lab elevator. "JARVIS, please wake the team and have them meet in the kitchen for early breakfast and make sure there is LOTS of coffee made." He added as the doors slide shut.

"As you wish, sir. Meeting alarm will be activated once the coffee has been brewed. And may I make a suggestion sir?"

"Erm, yes?" Tony tiredly replied, leaning on Bruce’s shoulder too drained to care about social etiquette. Bruce seemed equally unbothered and just closed his eyes and rested his head against the glass wall. 

"Yourself and Dr Banner may want to seek a shower and change of clothes before meeting the others." Bruce let out a tired laugh, eyes still closed and Tony just shook his head and smiled as the elevator climbed upwards towards the living quarters.

All these events stemmed from the one technology file about the medical properties of nanites. Which had led Nick Fury to the situation he was in now, with six livid superheroes and a furious Pepper Potts in front of him demanding answers. It wasn't answers to how or even when they wanted, they had proof of that already, it was why. Why he'd let them think Coulson was dead. Why he'd covered the whole thing up for so long. Why he'd even bothered to. Fury sighed and glanced at a stoic Maria Hill standing next to him, her expression hard and unreadable. She'd known, but only because she'd threaten to leave SHIELD and maim him if she was not told why scientists, of all people, had Coulson's body. She'd also advised him to tell the Avengers immediately after finding out herself, predicting something like this would happen. Fury was starting to think he should have listened to her.

"Why, Fury? Why hide him from us?" Came the repeated question of an angry Clint Barton with a growl, Natasha Romanov subconsciously moving closer to the bristling hawk.

"Would you care to enlighten us with your 'oh so sound' reasoning so I can tear it apart piece by piece?" Tony snared when Fury waited too long to answer. He was furious that they'd been lied to. He understood why he and Rogers had been told Coulson was dead - they wouldn't have battled as well without that lie. But keeping it up after he was dead? What was the point?

Fury just stared at the team, observing the quiet anger of Steve and Bruce, the snaring fury of Clint and Tony, Natasha's silent seething and Pepper and Thor's furious expressions. He looked back at the file and rubbed his eye; he did not need this. "The reason, Mr Stark was that the council was worried you would fall apart if told. That the technology might fail Agent Coulson and they did not want to risk tearing apart the team with false hope. The reason, Tony was that we knew you were in our systems and would eventually find out. We'd just hoped it would be after Coulson was healed and maybe even after his release."

"Well looks like you thought wrong." Clint spat back at Fury, giving a cold glare to Maria Hill and storming out the room. Slowly each Avenger followed Clint's example but did not bother looking for the archer, they all knew where he'd be anyway. Bruce was the last one out the door, rough hands grabbing the metal handle before it swung closed. Without turning around, he addressed Fury, voice harsh but steady.

"You're an idiot, you know. Regardless of the council's reasoning, SHIELD protocol or whatever other excuse you told yourself we should have been told. Because though you thought you were 'protecting the team' you just lost your best card. Our trust." There was a click of the door closing and he was gone, words hanging heavily over Fury. Looking at a shocked Maria, Fury broke the silence.

"Well, shit."


End file.
